


The electric charge of a change in the weather

by EffieAgo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21614044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EffieAgo/pseuds/EffieAgo
Summary: Imperial undercover operative Tevler Berand's mission is complicated by Rebel intelligence officer Gavin Dera, but not in the way he would've expected.
Relationships: Undercover Male Imperial Operative/Male Rebel
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11
Collections: Star Wars Rare Pairs Exchange 2019





	The electric charge of a change in the weather

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sockaliciously](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sockaliciously/gifts).



Telver shielded his eyes against the harsh overhead lighting and tried to ignore the voice calling out his cover name. 

“Tel! Telver Berand!”

He did his best to pretend he hadn’t heard as he pushed past a group of chattering Bothans at the end of the breakfast queue. He looked down at his food, a mix of rations and fresh ingredients that he’d had to admit was an improvement to what the Empire provided to anyone who wasn’t a senior officer. He repressed the urge to groan; the canteen was even more crowded and noisy than it normally was in the morning. In the months since he’d begun his infiltration of the Rebel base, he’d done his best to get used to the way of life so he could fit in without arousing suspicion. His training had prepared him for a variety of undercover scenarios and while toiling away as a glorified mechanic was beneath him, it was far from being the worst part of the assignment. Overall, he felt he was doing a passable job of assimilating, but he didn’t think he’d ever get used to the sheer amount of noise that pervaded all public spaces frequented by base’s occupants on their off shifts. He felt he’d probably never be able to completely tune out the loud and raucous conversations, some of which _weren’t even in Basic_ , that took over every mealtime on the base. His usual coping method was to find an inconspicuous spot where he’d be overlooked by the socializing diners, but increasingly, that strategy didn’t work.

“Hey, Telver! Over here!” This time the shouting was accompanied by waving arms and he felt his eyes drawn to one Rebel in particular before he could stop himself. Then, because he decided it was no longer possible to fake obliviousness and escape, he pushed through the crowd and reluctantly sat across from Gavin Dera, Rebel Intelligence officer and general annoyance. At first, Dera’s overtures had alarmed him, given the man’s job and the amount of influence he had with the terrorist cell’s leadership. Telver couldn’t help but worry that he’d been compromised, but time went on and nothing happened. Eventually, he decided that his fears were unfounded. It seemed as if Dera was just like that and it was true that the other man was friendly and outgoing with everyone, though not to the same extent. Telver didn’t _like_ it of course. Definitely not. That would be ridiculous, but it also wouldn’t do to make a scene and draw attention to himself. So, if he needed to pretend to be the Rebel’s friend, he would. He wasn’t naïve. He was aware that the other man wanted more than friendship, but otherwise his behavior confused Telver. On one hand, an Imperial officer would never be so blatant about his desires and on the other, he wouldn’t be nearly so patient either. Telver had seen the men and women he served with bribe, blackmail and outright order their subordinates into sexual relationships, though he himself had always found that sort of conduct appalling. Dera was persistent, sure, but he seemed content to wait until Telver made the first move. Something that would never happen. Obviously.

Telver kept his face neutral as he sat his tray down, not wanting to give Dera too much satisfaction. “Commander.”

“I know you’re not a morning person, but try and look a little less like you’re awaiting your own execution, all right?” Dera was smiling as he refilled his cup from a large carafe while Telver pushed away his discomfort at the commander’s unfortunate choice of words, which was easy enough to do because the other kept on talking. “I see they were out of hot drinks by the time you got through the line. Luckily, I’m always prepared. You want caf?” The Imperial agent frowned as he watched the Rebel pour steaming liquid into an empty cup and push it toward him. _What did he do, swipe that from the kitchen? These people don’t know the first thing about discipline and self-restraint._ But he accepted it all the same.

“Thanks,” he said, and was disappointed when it didn’t sound as grudging as he’d intended. “I can’t stay long. My shift will be starting soon.”

Dera snorted. “Like I would expect anything different. You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to relax every now and again, Tel.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“What, you’d rather I call you ‘Technician Berand?’” Then the hazel eyes widened as he took in his companion’s expression. “You actually would, wouldn’t you?”

Telver felt his face heat up. “I mean, it would be more appropriate. You’re my superior and we may not technically be on duty right now, but you’re an officer and you should be setting an example.”

The commander just shook his head. It was a variation of a discussion they’d had many times before. “We’re both equally important parts of this Rebellion and-” He saw Telver open his mouth and silenced him with a hand motion. “No, I’m serious! I know you came here from an Imperial factory, but you’re not there any longer. You can-”

“Gavin! You’re still trying to get Berand to loosen up? That’s one hell of a losing battle.” The interruption came in the form of a young curly haired woman who appeared beside Telver. She turned her smile toward him. “Hey, buddy! I’m heading to the hangar and you’ve got a shift too, right? Wanna walk with me?”

Telver nodded as he stood and pocketed the rest of the food on his mostly untouched tray. “Have a good day, Commander. Let’s go then, Myria,” he said, using his fellow technician’s given name and enjoying the look of exaggerated anguish on Dera’s face.

______

  
The shift went quickly for Telver. His team had been given the task of doing system upgrades on a selection of the base’s fighters, which was a big job and occupied all his time. It also meant he hadn’t been able to gather anything in the way of intelligence for his mission, but it couldn’t be helped. As he stepped out of the Y-wing he’d been working on, he found himself face to face with a woman he didn’t recognize but whose uniform and blaster identified her as a security officer. “Telver Berand?”

“Yes,” he answered, fighting the urge to run. After all, wouldn’t they have sent more than one barely armed person if they’d intended to arrest him? 

“Command wants to see you,” she said as she stepped closer to him with an odd expression on her face. He thought she might be hiding a smile. “And Commander Dera said to tell you not to panic.”

That horrid man. “I’m not panicking!”

Now she was definitely smiling. “Of course not. Please come with me.”

______

Sure enough, Dera was waiting in the command centre when they arrived. The so-called Chancellor Mothma and a few of her most valued lieutenants were there as well, pouring over various Holo images. She greeted him warmly and Dera pulled him forward. “He used to work in this exact same factory on Hosnian. Isn’t that right, Technician Berand?” He added with a wink. Telver could see amusement on some of the faces around them. They had clearly come to their own conclusions about the nature of their relationship, which should have bothered him, but that wasn’t the problem his mind focused on.

“Yes,” he answered finally. He had a feeling about what they were going to ask next. He had in fact been posted at that facility for a few months. Not as a factory worker, of course, but as an intelligence officer sent there to investigate a spate of sabotage. When he’d begun planning for this mission, he’d been told to make his cover story as close to the truth as possible and that had clearly been the right call. Yet now he found himself in an impossible situation. “I- I didn’t have much in the way of clearance, though,” he tried, stalling.

“Obviously not. That’s not what was asked,” an irritated-looking major said, earning himself a glare from Dera who then stepped closer and put an arm around Telver’ shoulder.

“We just need info about exit doors and turbolift locations mainly. Although if you remember anything about how the guard rotations worked, that would be incredibly helpful.” He released Telver and nodded encouraging toward him. “It’ll be a small team and we need to leave by tomorrow. Just me and three others, so anything you can give us will be great, okay?”

Telver nodded, having made a split-second decision. “If you give me a datapad, I’ll put down everything I remember.” If he didn’t cooperate, they’d for sure be suspicious and he’d be jeopardizing his entire mission. Helping the Rebels do whatever probably minor and inconsequential thing they were planning would be worth it in the long run. His choice had absolutely nothing to do with the way Dera was looking at him.

______

Dera had told Telver the mission would take five days max. On day seven, he could barely concentrate on his work to the point that he forgot to complete a vital part of a job and was told off by his supervisor. The next morning, the same supervisor, clearly having been clued in by someone above, met him at the entrance and told him kindly but firmly to take the day off. On day nine he was back at work, determined to do his job. Both his jobs, though he found it particularly difficult to focus on gathering intel for the Empire. He was welcomed back by the other techs, though he noticed his colleagues didn’t engage in their usual friendly teasing, instead treating him as if he were something fragile that might break. He did he best to ignore it.

It was day eleven before Commander Dera returned with his one surviving comrade. Telver first heard about it in the form of general base gossip and the shock of relief had just barely eclipsed the annoyance of not hearing anything from the Dera himself. A recorded message came shortly after, however, telling him they were on their way. The mission had been more difficult than expected but was ultimately successful. He watched it twice, noting the fatigue and mixed emotions evident on the other’s face, clear even in the poor quality holo. Then he replayed it a third time, just for the ending lines. _So, after all that, we did get what we needed and thanks in no small part to you. I’ll fill you in at breakfast._ He let the words echo around him for a few moments before he stood up and tossed the comm on his bunk. He was about halfway to Dera’s room before he began to have doubts, but they weren’t enough to stop him.

When he got there, he pushed the button and only had to wait a few seconds before the door slid open. “Telver.” In other circumstances, Dera’s wide-eyed expression of shock would have been funny.

“Dera. Can I come in?”

“Well, yeah, of course you c-”

Telver was already making his way inside before the Rebel could finish his sentence, closing the door as he did. For a brief moment, they simply stood facing each other. Then Telver stepped forward, closing the space between them until they were almost touching. The air around them suddenly felt electric. “I'm- is this the wrong time?” Telver asked, suddenly unsure. “Is this okay? Should I leave?”

Dera blinked. “Are you kidding me? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for-” But again, Telver didn’t let him finish.

______  
  
Telver woke up and then immediately closed his eyes again against the harsh artificial light. They hadn’t bothered to switch off the lights at any point before they had both fallen asleep. They were also both still dressed, for the most part, though Telver’s clothes were in no condition to be worn in public. He’d have to ask to borrow something from Dera and the thought made him flush. He checked the time and found that they hadn’t been asleep long. Next to him, Dera shifted and Telver pressed himself closer to the wall. The bed was bigger and more comfortable than Telver’ bunk, but it was still designed for one person.

“Uh, what-” Came the groggy-sounding voice. “Oh, Tel. You’re here. It wasn’t a dream.”

Telver smiled, despite himself. Despite everything. “No, it wasn’t.” He sat up. He knew what he needed to do, but that didn’t make things any easier.

“You can stay the night, if you want. We could have a drink?” Dera was sitting up now too. He looked content. Telver suddenly felt ill.

“Gavin, wait. I need to tell you something,” he said and then pressed his eyes closed. How would he even begin?

Dera shifted so they were facing each other and reached and lightly squeezed Telver’s knee. The touch was gentle but there was something odd in his expression. “ISB or Army Intelligence?”

For a second, Telver couldn’t speak. It was as if he were frozen in place. _Gavin knew_. Gavin knew and he still let Tevler into his quarters? Into his bed? Why wasn't he already locked up? At the very least, why hadn’t the commander pointed a blaster at him before having this conversation? More and more questions flooded his thoughts, but slowly the shock began to fade. “Neither,” he managed.

“Tel-” Dera began.

“Navy Intelligence.”

Dera stared at him for a moment, as if trying to read something invisible and then nodded. “Ah, that does make sense. You sure do know your way around a starfighter.”

Telver ignored the compliment. “I’m not going to try to get away, you understand?” He looked as the face of the man who for a brief moment was both his enemy and his lover. “I just want to ask a few things before... Well, before.”

“All right.”

He was a little surprised by the affirmative answer and continued on quickly before the other could change his mind. “How did you find out? On your mission somehow?”

“What? Oh. Wait, are you serious?” Then Gavin was laughing. “Have you met you? I've been pretty damn sure since that time you got drunk that time and starting spouting off about regulations." Telver blushed. He'd tried to forget about that. "I was also pretty sure you weren’t transmitting anything off the base.”

“I wasn’t. I was going to report everything when I got back.”

The commander just shook his head. “If you say so,” he said as he moved to climb off the bed. Telver tried to prepare himself for what he knew was coming. He was still confused, and he didn't like to admit it even now, but he was glad Dera had given him a memory he could hold onto in the cell he’d surely be in soon enough. 

“One more question.”

Gavin nodded.

“If you already knew… about me, why’d you accept my information about the factory?” _And why aren’t you blaming me for the mission going wrong?_

“I didn’t. Not at first. I didn’t tell you before, but we had someone on the inside. Everything you gave us was verified by her.”

“But you didn’t tell anyone else about me?”

“No.” The Rebel looked away, not offering any further explanation and Telver decided not to push it.

“Okay, I’m ready now.” He started to get up. “Uh, but if you could please lend me some trousers, that would be great.”

Gavin was looking at him. “You could defect. I’ll help you.”

The offer wasn’t entirely a surprise, but it still took Telver a moment to form a response. “I can’t. I’ll let you take me in, but I won't be a traitor.” _Not any more of one than I already am, anyway_. It was true that he wanted less and less to do with the Empire every day, but to betray everything he had worked for up until now? That was unfathomable. Wasn't it?

There was silence for a moment and then the Rebel flopped back down on the bed. “Fine, tomorrow then. It's past my bedtime.”

“What? Don't be an idiot! I could escape. I could kill you in your sleep!”

“Sure, but you won’t.” Gavin gave him a half-smile and moved over so there’d be room on the bed. “Turn off the light, will you?”

He did as he was told and then felt his way back into the narrow bed. "Dera! What- I thought you wanted to sleep?"

"Do _you_ want to sleep?"

Telver did not. 

______

When Telver next woke up, the bed was empty. A quick check of the chrono revealed it was morning and he noticed a stack of clothes on the desk. To his surprise, it was one of his own uniforms. Had Gavin gone to his room to get it? Well, he supposed it didn’t matter now, so he pushed away the thoughts of his bunkmates’ undoubtedly immature reactions and immediately started getting dressed. The situation was humiliating enough as it was, he wanted to be sure he was decent when the commander returned with a security detail.

He wasn’t sure what kind of entrance to anticipate, but he definitely did not expect to hear a muffled “Some help with the door, please!” come from the corridor. He pressed the door controls cautiously, only to be met with Commander Dera holding a carafe in one hand, a tray loaded with mystery foodstuffs in the other and… was that a ration bar in his mouth?  
The other man brushed past him to set his burdens down on the desk, ignoring Telver’s stunned expression. “Okay, I managed to get tea and, uh, whatever this is. Honestly, seems like we’re due for a supply replenishment.”

“What are you doing?”

Dera poured a cup of tea and handed it to Telver, who took it automatically, still too shocked to do much of anything. “I’m making sure you eat before you run off to your shift and I get pulled into endless debriefs. Thought it was obvious?”

“This means you aren't going to tell-”

“No, I’m not. You are.”

Telver stiffened. “I told you I won’t defect.”

“Maybe not now, but you will eventually. And I’ll be there when you do, don’t worry.”

“This is insane! You should have come back with binders, not breakfast.”

The Rebel choked on his drink and then grinned. “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m opposed to that sort of thing, but we’ll have to have a discussion first and-”

“Gavin! You know what I meant,” Telver pressed his eyes closed and tried again. “This is dangerous. For you. If- when your leaders find out, they’ll be furious.”

“Maybe, but this isn’t the Empire. We’ll handle it together.”

Telver was surprised at how much he wanted to continue as they were right in that moment. “Really?”

“Really. I do have one request, though.”

“Yes?” Suddenly, Telver felt prepared to do almost anything.

“Kiss me, Technician Berand.”

“Certainly, Commander.”  
  
  



End file.
